Sony Says AAA Economics "Don't Work" on PS Vita and That's Okay

The PlayStation Vita is the most technically advanced piece of mobile hardware in the history of video gaming. It can power up games worthy of a huge console release, and it will even function as a second screen for your television required PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

If that’s the case, then why have most AAA developers been shunning the handheld in regards to most of the top selling series? Why don’t we have more offerings of Killzone and Uncharted?

“We have to do something different to get AAA games on Vita,” Mesa said in a response to fan questioning regarding the topic. “We accomplished it to a certain degree by making PS4 games work on Vita via remote play,”

“PS Now will be another way, streaming PS3 games on Vita. I can’t wait until PS Now is out on Vita – I hope you’ll try out the experience and let me know what you think.”

As far as I’m concerned, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One can keep the big AAA budget titles for themselves. The Vita doesn’t need them to shine.

What is most attractive about the PS Vita, and the Nintendo 3DS for that matter, is not that it can handle console style experiences, but rather its because smaller developers are using that power to make games that the console crowd doesn’t adhere to anymore. It is a place where the mid-sized companies can shine and have a place to bloom.

Ys: Memories of Celceta, Tearaway, Jet Grind Radio, Muramasa Rebirth, Deception IV: Blood Ties, these are the kind of original games that once drove the console market to great success but can no longer do so with Western AAA developers pushing them out of the spotlight more and more everyday.

Without the PS Vita, there is no way to enjoy what little remains intact of the enthusiastic spirit of 90s gaming. JRPGs, 2D platformers, mind-blowing expansions on set trends, text adventures, experimental titles, risky sequels, genre shifting releases. The budgets are small enough for the Vita to make it the last place this mentality can thrive to the best of its ability, and hopefully we don’t have to sacrifice that safe haven to make room for a dumbed down Uncharted or Killzone game that can barely stand up to its console counterparts.

The PS Vita has a little work to do on original content, but I can’t think of a better platform for retro gaming and indie gaming right now. With cheap PSOne Classics, PSP releases, and the best indie games all finding their way eventually to the handheld console, it’s hard to call it out for doing anything wrong these days. The HD OLED screen is just a good as any other on the market, and you can take your entire library comfortably on the go.

So please, Sony. Streaming is a decent idea to get AAA games on the PS Vita, but don’t let it go beyond that. We don’t need more Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed, and Killzone games natively on our Vitas if it means we have to push others aside to make room. We already have them on the PlayStation 4.